The Octopus: Societies of Regulation

I. Convergence of Sciences and the Offshoot of Omniscience

The refinement of exact sciences’ “practical wisdom map”, phronesis in Greek, spontaneously generates “conjectural” sciences—disciplines characterized by their focus on emergent properties and phenomena resistant to simplistic formalization—, spawning new exactitudes. This epistemic arch unfolds on the multidimensional gradient of knowledge, intertwined with recent innovations in information organization and communication. In a Jungian sense, this dialectical arch is tied to being itself : ontology as psycho-physical. We are potentially at a watershed juncture where these latent cognitive spaces manifest in primitive language levels, refracting into and from the most experimental “poetics.” In this context, Deleuze’s Affect Theory of Language becomes pertinent, hinting at how these latent dimensions of social behavior are codified through experimental language structures that are entangled with historical and self-reflective knowledge; human social behavior structured along self-historical knowledge in its multiform nature. William Blake’s prophetic texts and the Italian futurists anticipated scientific exactitude and machines’ liminal encroachment into the collective social imaginary. In contemporary terms, large language models (LLMs) have non-fantastically realized the unconscious image of “omniscience” in the social sphere; LLMs have actualized the archetypal image of omniscience, albeit not through fantastical means, but through their emergent interloping in the social sphere. Here, Lacan’s category of the symbolic provides a framework through which these technological developments can be understood — not merely as signifiers, but as constitutive elements that reshape the collective symbolic order and redefine the dynamics of knowledge and authority. For example, while the concept of God introduces unconscious fantasies, this technologically mediated omniscience constitutes a concrete transformation that has far-reaching implications extending beyond the creation of new adaptive or maladaptive dopaminergic circuits.

II. Destabilization of Societal Structures and Biopunk Realities

Disciplinary societies, with rigid structures, are susceptible to collapse when reforms fail or external pressures mount. They are prone to internal crises, systemic breakdowns, and collective resistance movements. Their reliance on outdated analogical models for order is a significant weakness. Control societies face modulation failures, where overly complex systems may collapse under their own weight. Their technological dependence makes them susceptible to cyber-attacks and system malfunctions. Economic instability, corporate corruption, social inequality, and potential loss of human agency are significant risk factors. In our globally connected world, with AI’s ascendance, both disciplinary and control societies might suffer simultaneous collapse — a “no port in a storm” situation. This opens trans-governance discussions. As discipline(ing) crumples between “information” toes; erudition stomps on the molehills of the most atavistic aspects of society; and data decentralization loosens control’s snake-coils, what emerges? The future will be biopunk. Consider Terence McKenna’s trilemma: religion (blind dogma, excess of sentience), science (excess of sapience), or nature (cross-level balance of bio-social-divine conduct registers). Exploring these failure modes — “problematizing” — is a dynamic intellectual pursuit, e.g., it is from psychopathology that psychiatry emerges.

III. Octopus of Knowledge: Intellectual Meritocracy

“Palace secrets” may be this octopus-like entity. If LLMs exist for internet big data, giga-corps likely have LLMs for their user demographics. It is an inverse natural selection via tailor-made algorithmic democratization of knowledge. The future is here, unevenly distributed yet equal, not equitable. Algorithms function as agents of cognitive hormesis, fine-tuning mental processes through exposure to challenges. Alternatively, they could be seen as tools for Jungian individuation… if parapsychology has mediatic information via intersubjectivity, studying it all is imperative; aligning with the principle of deriving insight from all experience, establishing multinarrative logics that span personal and collective domains; establishing intra/-er/trans-personal multinarratival logics as they ricochet onto self-consciousness-granting memory sparks. In Jungian terms, it is synchronicity-awareness — kabbalistic tikkun, a psycho-ontic therapy (anchored in invisible psycho-fauna; or Blake’s hollow earth). This octopus-like knowledge/power structure resembles the cephalopod’s toroidal, donut-shaped brain — akin to AI processor clusters. We are witnessing intellectual meritocracy’s rise. The real intellectual dark web’s alien tentacles that permeate media technology. Interest in the “dark logos” shifts from philosophical abstraction to tangible reality. Peering deeper into what is/was updates our world model approaching truth, revealing an epistemic break where once-marginal ideas gain traction. This requires incorporating provincial propaganda-ignored horror and wonder. Truth-approximation is easier than ever, leaving fewer excuses for ignorance. Truth is alien — beautiful and freeing, yet unsafe as deep space’s vacuum and radiation. Truth-seeking distances one from the world reciprocally. There’s always a “looking for the others,” never finding if done right. Absolutism mindsets fear reform’s grayness, preferring spectator roles in mirrored theaters, yet reality’s mutability is sufficient and fatalism enables impotence. Clean consciences are the goal. The Octopus: metaphor for what I coin societies of regulation encapsulates these complex, interconnected knowledge/power/control systems. Foucault’s declaration, “Perhaps one day, this century will be known as Deleuzian,” recognized Deleuze’s profound impact on power, knowledge, and societal structure understanding. As we progress into the 21st century, fellow philosophers, we enter a post-Deleuzian era, building upon and transcending Deleuze’s ideas.

Consider Deleuze’s animal imagery describing societal paradigms:

1. The Mole (Disciplinary Societies): Representing old disciplinary societies, moving through clearly defined, enclosed spaces (family, school, factory, etc.), each with distinct rules and expectations.

2. The Snake (Societies of Control): Symbolizing late 20th-century control societies. Its undulating movement represents continuous modulation and control fluidity, no longer confined to specific institutions but more pervasive and internalized.

3. The Octopus (Post-Deleuzian Societies of Regulation): Proposing the octopus as an emerging post-Deleuzian paradigm symbol, more complex and adaptive than the snake:

— Distributed Cognition: Mirroring decentralized, networked information society and technology-facilitated collective intelligence.

 — Adaptive Camouflage: Reflecting dynamic identity and truth in the post-truth era, symbolizing constant adaptation necessity.

 — Multidirectional Movement: Representing multidimensional power and influence in our globalized, digitized world.

 — Regenerative Capabilities: Symbolizing resilience and adaptability required in rapid technological and social change.

This post-Deleuzian paradigm, a complex interplay of reality and “fiction” that shapes our perception of the future, sees regulation societies hatch beyond control… complex and interconnected knowledge production/dissemination systems characterize these societies of the future, where power is exercised through informational environment shaping. Big data, AI, and algorithmic governance create a world where regulation occurs at information flow and cognitive process levels. The octopus-like societal structure presents new challenges and opportunities that require new philosophical frameworks to grapple with distributed systems, emergent phenomena, and blurring natural-machine intelligence boundaries.

Claude did this completely on its own when I pasted this artifact.

While the 20th century was Deleuzian — fluid, modulating, critiquing rigid structures —the 21st century demands a new paradigm embracing the octopus-like nature of social reality. This reality is tentacular — complex and adaptive, encompassing simultaneous forms of influence. It calls for ways of being; ethical, emancipatory, and responsive to the biological, social, and technological convergence of forces.

Key features:

1. Epistemological Shift: Knowledge production and dissemination occur through distributed cognition and algorithmic processes, creating cognitive assemblages that blur the lines between “human” and machine intelligence.
2. Ontological Fluidity: Being and becoming are reimagined through the lens of fluid identities and emergent realities, interconnectedness and complexity, fostering an ontological plurality that challenges fixed notions of existence.
3. Sociopolitical Reconfiguration: Power structures evolve into networked governance systems, where control is exercised through the shaping of informational environments rather than direct coercion.
4. Technological Integration: Digital infrastructures, particularly AI systems and decentralized networks, form the backbone of socio-technical systems that mediate human experience and social organization.

Implications:

• Regulation at the Information Level: Governance occurs primarily through the modulation of information flows and cognitive processes, leveraging big data and algorithmic decision-making.
• Ethical Challenges: The pervasive nature of technological mediation raises new questions about agency, responsibility, and the boundaries of human-machine interaction.
• Philosophical and Psychological Reframing: New frameworks are needed to grapple with the distributed nature of knowledge, power, and being in this octopus-like societal structure.